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2.1.16: We’re almost at Super Bowl Sunday!

If you’re already looking forward to the upcoming weekend, rest assured you’re not alone… because it’s Super Bowl 50 time! What do you need to know? The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers will be kicking off at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California at 6:30 EST. If you won’t be there, you can catch it on CBS. GET READY FOR SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NBA

LeBron James scored 29 points on Saturday night to secure the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win 117-103 over the San Antonio Spurs, who played without their star center Tim Duncan. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love also scored 21 points apiece during the game, to hand San Antonio their second loss in 16 games.

The Golden State Warriors will be visiting the White House to celebrate their championship win after their game against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

In other news, the NBA investigation into LA Clippers player Blake Griffin is ongoing. Griffin was involved in an altercation with assistant equipment manager Matias Testi, during which Griffin broke his hand punching Testi.

College Basketball

On Saturday, #1 Oklahoma took home a close 77-75 comeback win over LSU on Saturday to remain in the top position in the AP Top 25. #2 UNC remained in that position as well after their 12th straight win, 89-62 over Boston College. #4 Kansas scored a 90-84 overtime win over #20 Kentucky, and the Jayhawks’ Wayne Selden Jr. finished the game with a career-high 33 points (seven of which were score in OT). On Sunday, #8 Maryland beat Ohio State66-61.

Let’s hope that a weekend off did #24 Duke some good, as they lost 69-80 against #15 Miami last Monday. This week, we’ll watch the Blue Devils take on Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 9pm on ESPNU. We’re also looking forward to watching #2 UNC take on #16 Louisville tonight at 7pm on ESPN, #25 Notre Dame play #15 Miami on Wednesday at 7pm on ESPN2, and #12 Michigan State v. Michigan on Saturday at 2pm on CBS.

Tennis

What an outstanding Australian Open! On Saturday in the Women’s Singles final, six-time Australian Open winner Serena Williams lost to German Angelique Kerber. This was Kerber’s first major title win, and with it she joined Steffi Graf as the only German women to win the Australian Open. This win propels Kerber to no. 2 in the rankings, behind Williams. And, on Sunday, we watched a great game of tennis as #1 Novak Djokovic claimed his sixth Australian Open title with his Men’s Singles final win over #2 Andy Murray. With the win, Djokovic tied Roy Emerson for the most men’s titles. He is now looking towards completing his career Slam in May at the French Open.

Soccer

The fourth round of the FA Cup was this weekend, and defending champions Arsenal scored a 2-1 win against Burnley FC to propel themselves into the fifth round. Other teams that moved on to the fifth round this weekend are: Everton, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United AFC, Reading FC, Manchester City, Shrewsbury Town FC, Watford, Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers FC, AFC Bournemouth, Hull City, and Manchester United. There are two more games left in the fourth round — replays between Peterborough United v. West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United v. Liverpool on Tuesday February 9th — before we progress to the fifth round on Saturday, February 20.

In MLS, LA Galaxy fans will be happy to hear that the team signed English defender Ashley Cole, who won four Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, and a UEFA Champions League title during his time with both Arsenal and Chelsea.

Other

The 2016 Pro Bowl ended with Team Irvin scoring a 49-27 win over Team Rice, and Russell Wilson won the Pro Bowl Offensive MVP award.

The Pacific beat the Atlantic 1-0 in the NHL All-Star championship to take home the $1 million prize, and John Scott, captain of the Pacific Division, was crowned MVP.

JUST FOR FUN

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

Ch-ch-ch-changesThe I.O.C. recently adopted some new guidelinesThe policy now reflects that “…transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in the Olympics and other international events without undergoing sex reassignment surgery”